Air-ship.



No. 859,765. PAIBNTED JULY 9, 1907.

' L. HAINES.

' AIR SHIP.

APPLICATION FILED 8EPT.19.1906.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

WITNESSES INYENTOR .Zeroy JZZzz'zz 6d 4.2 f B) y ATTORNE Y8 PATENTEDJULY 9, 1907;

L. HAINES.

AIR SHIP.

INVENTOH .Zeroy .jz ailzea' A TTORNE Y8 No. 859,765. PATENTED JULY 9',1907.

L. HAINES.

AIR SHIP.

APPLIOATION FILED 53121219, 1906.

' 3 SHBETS-SHEET :y

W/TNESSES INVENTOH A 77'0/7NE rs UNITED STATES LEROY HAINES, OFOOLGHESTER, ILLINOIS.

AIR-SHIP.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 9, 1907.

Application filed September 19, 1906- Serial No. 335,215.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LEROY HAiNEs, a citizen of the United States, and aresident of Colchester, in the county of McDonough and State'ofIllinois, have invented a new and Improved Air-Ship, of which thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention is an improved air-ship of strong and light constructionembodying a novel .form of propelling means which when driven, act' toovercome the force of gravity and simultaneously drive the ship.forward.

.One form of the invention consists of a frame-work tapering to a pointat each end and carrying forwardly at each side a parachute-shapedpropeller journaled at an inclination and driven from a suitable motorarranged between them. The blades of the propellers are simultaneouslymovable to vary their inclination, and means are provided to vary theinclination of the blade of one propeller with respect to the other whendesired, to cause the ship to be elevated or depressed at one side. Thedirection of travel of the ship is controlled by a rudder at the extremerear or stern end, and the relative vertical position of the stern iscontrolled by rudders arranged at each side thereof, suitable meansbeing provided for readily controlling the position of the rudders at aconvenient part of the ship.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part ofthis specification, in which similar characters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the ship as it appears in flight; Fig. 2is a plan view of the same; Fig. 3 is a rear, end elevation of the shipwith the stern end thereof removed and one of the parachute-shapedpropellers uncovered at one side to show the construction therein, andFig. 4 is a fragmentary view illustrating the manner in which theinclination of the blades of the propellers are controlled.

The invention comprises a frame-work principally composed of twotriangular frames 1 connected together and diverging from each other atthe stern end of the ship, said frames being connected together at theirforward ends by a cross-frame 2 and at a point intermediate their lengthby triangular frames 3, terminating in a point at the forward end of theship, all of said frames being suitably braced and reinforced by thestanchions, crossbars and diagonal wiring as shown. The forward part ofthe frame-work at the junction of the frames 3 is covered over with wirenetting 4, giving this part of the ship an appearance icsembling anengine pilot.

Journaled in bearings 5 and 6 at the junction of the frames 1 and 2, areshafts 7 conforming to the inclined direction of these frames, and arerotatably driven by a motor 8 stationed on the frame-work between them,said motor being provided with a long, transverse, driving shaft 9having a beveled gear 1.0 at each end moshing .with a similar gear 11fixed to the shafts 7. Each of the shafts 7 carry at their upper ends aparachuteshaped propeller of the following construction: At theextremity of a shaft 7 extend a series of radiating spokes 12, which areconnected to and pass beyond a small hoop 13, the projecting ends ofsaid spokes being journaled in keepers 14 fixed to a series ofsectorshaped blades 15.. The blades 15 droop about the shaft 7 as acenter and are'each further supported by hoops 16, 17 and 18,successively increasing in diameter, extending cars 19 arranged at oneedge of the blades and pivotally connected to the hoops, being providedfor this purpose. The hoops are connected together by any desired numberof equally-spaccd and non-radial extending wires 20 arranged at such anangle that the strain due to the revolving of the propellers will be inthe direction of their length.

The cars 19 are each connected to a similar set olears 19 by anintermediate stem which passes thn'mgh the blades 15, as shown best inFig. 4. These cars .19 are connected to a stationary collar 21 on theshaft 7 by stationary ribs 22, said ribs being provided with threebranches as illustrated in Fig. 3, each branch leading to an ear l9extending inwardly from cach hoop.

Just below the collar 21 is slidably mounted on the shaft 7 a splinedsleeve 23 which carries a series of ribs 22 corresponding to the ribs 22but pivotally connect cd to the opposite or free edges of the blades 15.Thcso ribs like the ribs 22, are formed with diverging branches at apoint intermediate their length, each branch boing pivotally connectedto a blade directly under a hoop. A collar 24 is journaled on the sleeve23 and has pivotally connected thereto a forked lever 25, thc lat-l orbeing also pivoted to a lug on the frame at 26.

Journaled on the frame 2 directly over the motor 8 is a drum 27 operableby the worm-wheel, worm and crank shown, and having. wound thereabouttwo lines 2b, the ends of each line passing about rollers 29 jonrnulcdnear the ends of frame 2 and are connected to the lovers 25 at theopposite sides of their pivots 26, one of said lines, however, beforepassing to the rollers 29, passes over rollers 30 journaled on the framedirectly above the drum 27, and also over rollers 31 journalcd at theends of a T-shaped lever 32, pivoted at 33 between the rollers 30. Asshown, one of the lines 28 is crossed so that on revolving the drum 27,the sleeves 23 are reciprocal-ed in the same direction through theintermediate mechanism, operating to simultaneously change theinclination of the blades of the propellers at the same angle. It isapparent that on turning the lever 32, one meniber of the line 28 withwhich it engages, is shortened, whereas the other is lengthened,operating to change the inclination of the propeller blades at this sideof the ship to a greater or less angle than those at the opposite sides.This is of importance for the reason that should the ship fail tomaintain a horizontal position sidewise, the inclination of the bladesof the propellers may be varied with respect to each other to increasethe pull on the propeller at the lowest side of the ship.

For guiding the ship, a vertical rudder 34 is pivotally connected at theextreme stem end, and'is operated by a line 35 connected to each sidethereofand wound about a drum 36 journaled in bearings carried by theframe-work near the motor 8. The members of the line 35, as shown inFig. 2, pass over the ends of a crossbar 37 projecting at each side fromthe pivotal connection of the rudder, and thereafter pass over rollers38 journaled to the frame-work near the drum 36. The drum 36 is operableby the worm-wheel, worm and crank illustrated, or other convenientmechanism whereby the rudder may be readily shifted from side'to side.

For controlling the relative elevation of the stern of the ship there isprovided at each side thereof a horizontal rudder 39 connected to atransverse shaft 40 said shaft being journaled in bearings 41 supportedby the frames 1. These rudders are simultaneously operable to changetheir inclination, by means of lines 42 connected to each side of eachof them, the upper and lower members of said lines being joined togetherat 43 to the ends of a common line 44 wound about a drum 45, the lines42 passing over the extremities of cross-bars 46 extending perpendicularto and at each side of the shaft 40, and the members of the line 44passing over rollers 47 journaled to the frame in vertical alinementnear the drum 45. This drum 45 is of the same construction and operableby like mechanism as the drum 36.

It is obvious from this construction that on revolving the drum 45, therudders 39 are caused to swing upward or downward, according to thedirection of the rotation, thereby acting to respectively depress orelevate the stem end of the ship as the propellers drive it in itsflight.

Theprecise embodiment of the invention is not material; provided theessential characteristics are employed as pointed out in the annexedclaims.

. Having thus described my invention I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent:-

1. In an air-ship, a parachute-shaped propeller having movable bladesdrooping about a common center, and means for varying the inclination ofsaid blades.

2. In an air-ship, a parachute-shaped propeller journaled at aninclination to the frame of the ship and havssones ing movable bladesdrooping about a common center, and means for varying the inclination ofsaid blades.

3. In an air-ship, a frame-work, parachute-shaped propellers journaledin bearings carried by the frame-work,

clination of said blades, and means operable to recipro-' cate saidmeans.

6. In an air-ship, a frame-work, a propeller journaled at an inclinationat each side of the frame-work, each propeller comprising a series ofpivotally mounted blades, reciprocating means for. varying theinclination ofthe blades of each propeller, and means operable tosimultaneously reciprocate said means.

7. In an air-ship, a frame-work, a shaft journaled at an inclination ateach side of the frame-work, a propeiler carried by each shaftcomprising a series of pivotally mounted blades, a sleeve slidablymounted on each shaft carrying,means' connecting the blades of theirrespective propellers, and means operable to simultaneously reciprocatesaid sleeves whereby the inclination of the blades of the propellersare'varied.

8. In an air-ship, a frame-work, a shaft journaled at an inclinationthereon, a propeller carrled by the shaft comprising a series of hoopssuccessively increasing in diameter, a series of sector-shaped blades,each blade being pivoted at one edge to the hoops, ribs fixed to theshaft and to the pivoted edges of the blades, and a sleeve slidable onthe shaft carrying ribs pivoted to the opposite edges of the blades,whereby as said sleeve is reciprocated the inclination of the blades isvaried as described.

9. In an air-ship, a frame-work, a shaft journaled at an inclinationthereon, a parachute-shaped propeller carried at the upper end of theshaft comprising a series of hoops successively increasing in diameter,a series of sector-shaped blades pivoted at one edge to the hoops,radial spokes connecting the upper hoop with the extremity of the shaftand projecting therebeyond and journaled to, the blades, a series ofribs fixed to the shaft and to the blades at their pivotal edges, 21splined sleeve slidable on the shaft carrying a series of ribs pivotedto the opposite edge of the blades, and means for reciprocating saidsleeve whereby the inclination of said blades is varied.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

LEROY HAINES. Witnesses:

CALVIN CANOTE, Gno. P. HOTTEN.

